Holding the DNC in Brooklyn would be a "good business equation" for the party and for local businesses, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.

Brooklyn is in strong contention to hold the Democratic National Convention in 2016.

The Democratic National Convention in Brooklyn would be an economic boon—both for the city and the National Democratic party, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday. Local hotels and restaurants would get a boost. Politicians and party leaders, meanwhile, could tap into the city's wealthy, liberal fundraising network.

Standing in front of the Barclays Center, the mayor delighted in the opportunity to stump for a convention that would help him raise his profile within the party. He took questions from the media on the logistics behind the city's bid: the impact on traffic and public transportation, the ability of the NYPD to corral and manage potential protesters, and the amount of taxpayer money the city would spend to absorb tens of thousands of convention-goers.

Mr. de Blasio predicted the public investment in hosting the national convention would be both "efficient" and "limited." (The city refuses to release an exact estimate of the cost to taxpayers.)

"The initial projection is about $10 million," Mr. de Blasio said. "We expect to earn that back in revenue many times over."

The mayor stressed that the "vast majority" of money spent on the convention would be private, raised by a committee of bankers, labor leaders and tech tycoons assembled by his administration. Private funds are expected to exceed $100 million, Mr. de Blasio said.

Some local politicians have questioned whether the convention would be more of a headache than a benefit, especially to the community surrounding the Barclays Center. But Mr. de Blasio insisted the event, which is expected to attract more than 30,000 attendees, would be "economically inclusive." As one example, he said minority- and women-owned companies should be a priority when doling out contracts for convention services.

"There are a lot of jobs associated" with the convention, he said. "And a lot of opportunity we can provide, particularly to people in parts of Brooklyn who deserve that opportunity. ... That is a priority for us."

The mayor also stressed that the convention would likely be held in the summer, either July or August, when many residents are away on vacation and traffic is minimal, thus reducing the headache factor for Brooklynites.

"We all know there will be some congestion, we all know there will be some challenges," he said. "But there's going to be a lot of money flowing. And I think that the vast majority of small business owners will appreciate that fact."

Mr. de Blasio declined to address reports that presumptive presidential candidate Hillary Clinton prefers the convention in Brooklyn. "I have a very clear policy: I only speak about somebody's position if they've stated it themselves," he said.

The 2004 Republican National Convention generated about $250 million in economic activity for the city, but it also drew thousands of protesters, many of which were arrested by the NYPD. (In January 2014, the city agreed to pay almost $18 million to settle the civil rights claims of thousands of protesters arrested during the 2004 convention.)

Asked how the city would handle protesters at the DNC, Mr. de Blasio said the city has "a lot of experience handling" those types of situations, citing the more recent example of Occupy Wall Street.

Amy Dacey, the CEO of the DNC, declined to name any concerns about holding the convention in Brooklyn, instead noting that the selection process was still on-going. She has already made site visits to Birmingham, Ala., and Columbus, Ohio, and plans to travel to Phoenix and Philadelphia.

Some Democrats have privately grumbled that New York, and Brooklyn in particular, is reliably blue, and thus politically unattractive for the convention. But Mr. de Blasio argued that holding the DNC in his home borough made as much business sense as it did political sense.

"There has been an assumption at times that a convention in a swing state has a particular lift," he said. "I don't think that's been proven in fact.

"I think what really has to come out of a convention, first of all, it has to work," he continued. "It has to be cost efficient. It can't leave the party in debt. It has to be a good business, if you will, equation for the Democratic Party. Because the real business happens after the convention."